From the Dragon's Mouth
by rrwqueenrider
Summary: Raliel is a young goldrider suddenly thrust into the position of Weyrwoman when the aging Esme dies. The position takes a heavy toll on her and she soon finds out she is not ready and highly unsuited for leadership. This is the tale of her tumultuous journey as told by her gold, Kessuth. - This story does not follow strict canon guidelines.
1. My Hatching

My existence began in a dark, but warm place. I could not tell you the very moment I came to be, but I remember being very cramped. I soon found out that the reason for this was that I had not yet been born. I had been expelled from my mother's womb, but my egg was still hardening, still keeping me trapped until I was ready to Hatch. I could feel the moment when I became ready. I could not quite hear the humming until I had exited my shell, but I could feel it. It resonated through my entire being, causing my shell to vibrate. It was encouraging. And it was irritating. I could not stay cooped up in my shell while it was trembling in such a manner! I demanded to be free!

I began to scratch at the hard prison that contained me, but my claws were still wet and soft. Progress was not immediate and this only frustrated me more. I knew there was something outside this world that I knew and I could not get to it fast enough. It would turn out that this "something" would be my beautiful Raliel, but I did not yet know this. I began to press against my egg, creating this rocking motion that everyone speaks of when they speak of a Hatching. I could not find the weak spot in my shell that I knew had to exist. And so I set my claws to the shell again, scratching with a fervor I wasn't sure I understood. I just knew I had to get out of this dark place where I had no room to move about.

I twisted about in my shell, my wings shuffling along the inside and then-ha! The darkness gave way and my foot plunged through the shell, rapidly washed in a strange sensation. It was not a wetness that touched my hide now, but a strange caress that seemed...cold. This was my first time feeling air upon me and in my damp state, it chilled me so my foot was withdrawn back into the safe warmth. I would not say I was frightened then, but the newness of this sensation gave me pause and I realized I had exerted myself. I could hear the voice of my mother now and the humming that had sent my shell trembling touched upon my awareness. It all told me that everything would be alright, that the world was waiting for me.

Though my claws were still soft, I set to my shell again and small shards fell to their fury, widening the hole made by my foot. When it seemed to be large enough, I pressed my nose into the brightness. There was a moment of indecision that only lasted a fraction of a second and then I was out of my shell, unfurling the long body that had been cramped up for so long. It seemed to be an eternity now that I was free, flooded by new sensations of light and noise that I could not understand. At the forefront of this was a need to find something. There was a reason I had emerged from my shell and the reason was somewhere close by. I could feel as much in my body, in my mind, in my soul.

It felt so good to be out of my shell, though, and I sighed my contentment, then stretched out the muscles that had began to ache from their tight position. My wings felt wonderful and I unfurled them, beating them experimentally. But I could feel that they were not yet strong and I could do nothing productive with them. It was troubling at first, but there was so much to see in this new world that my wings were the least of my worries. I was young yet and I was certain that my wings would work in due time.

I cast my gaze around this world I had come into and found that the grainy surface I now sat upon was filled with fragments of shells not unlike mine. They were rather plain, however, whereas mine was a shiny golden color. I knew beauty when I saw it, even at that young age. Something about the shell-ridden sands irritated me and as I spotted others like me, I realized that they were my brothers and sisters and...they had Hatched before me! I was seized instantly with annoyance, upset that they had had the audacity to make their entrance before me. I could feel an empathic touch that agreed with my irritation and I knew it was this touch, this like mind, that I must seek.

I glared one final time at my egg, marvelling at it for a moment. It was such a small thing to have contained me and so brittle looking now. I snorted once softly and then I turned my head towards the group with the blinding white robes. I had seen my brothers and sisters with a white-robed person for each of them and I knew this was where I should begin my search for that mind I had felt earlier. As I grew closer, my movements purposeful, I began to discover more about this mind. She was resistant to my touch at first, unwilling to make a bond with a creature such as me. I would discover the reason later, but now it perplexed and vexed me.

I knew none of the girls I passed were mine. It was so clear I am still not sure why, to this day, that they did not move from my path. It was not that they were bad or necessarily unworthy, but they were not Raliel. That was her name. The name of this missing piece that I knew I had to find from within my egg. I reached out to her so that she would know who I was and that I was coming for her. _Ah, Raliel. It seems it took me a long time to find you, but Kessuth is here now. Though I would have been very upset if someone else had chosen you first…_ And it was the truth. The moment the words came to me, I realized just how upset that would have made me. My siblings had nearly all Hatched before me and if they had stolen her I might have had to fight for her.

I sat in front of my Raliel, my tail curling about my graceful body and twining around my forepaws. _Now I would much appreciate if you could feed your Kessuth before I waste away from hunger – being born is tiring, you know! _I expected her to immediately respond, to scoop me up and carry me to food, though the idea of being picked up was a little disgraceful. But I would have allowed her to do it. I would have allowed my Raliel to do anything. I already loved her and I had only just met her.

My rider seemed to be in shock, though. I heard my name on her lips, though it was a little difficult to hear her when she insisted on speaking aloud. It seemed obvious to me that we should speak privately in our minds. But upon gently prying, I found her thoughts to be a whirlwind. I was barraged with the insistence that I was not her dragon and that she was a mere beastcrafter, intending to return home to some ugly animals. This upset me greatly, as the idea of her leaving was just too much to bear. From my sitting position, I reared up suddenly, my eyes whirling in desperate fury. _Anyone would be proud to have a queen! You do not want Kessuth? _I realized my anger came out of fear and I was hissing at my rider, but I needed to make her see how that would affect me. I had only just come to her and she was already wanting to leave me. I was a gold! I was supposed to be the envy of every girl! I could feel their jealousy, weighing like a dark cloud over the Sands. And if Raliel did not want me, I could not be sure of what I would do, as none of those girls had agreed with my earlier indignation. They were not Raliel.

I could feel that Raliel wanted me, that she felt the perfection of our bond. But that ridiculous part of her brain was so certain that this was not supposed to be her fate. And then...I felt her distress. I could see her mental image of her father, but only briefly, and it was not clear to me then. She moaned and I felt fear flare again within my breast, which I responded to by beating my weak, underdeveloped wings again. _**I**__ chose __**YOU!**_ I needed her to understand that I did not want any of those other girls. I had to have Raliel. Only she would do. _You can belong to no one else!_

I must have finally gotten through to her because her body suddenly crumpled and I felt her warmth connect with mine. Her arms came around me, hugging me, and my fear was soothed. She was not going to leave me then. But I did not relax yet. My Raliel was hurt. I could feel her anguish, but I could not yet comprehend it. I did not see why she was so sad when I had just come to her. I felt happy and whole at finding her and I had been so certain she would feel the same way. I could feel her crying, her body shaking slightly. Gradually I could feel the sobs lessen and my muscles relaxed, wings coming to rest until they touched upon my Raliel's back.

My beautiful rider pulled her head back and her face was shining. I knew that this was a result of her sorrow and a fresh drop of wetness ran down her cheek. I extended my neck, carefully withholding my breath, as I knew what a shock it had been to me when I had felt the air on my wet foot. I caught the tear on my muzzle and gently pulled back, tasting the saltiness. I offered to share her sorrow, though I did not understand it, and I could feel her acceptance of me. Happiness soon spread through her mind, but it could not completely chase away the surprise and confusion. But worst of all was a feeling of betrayal and I felt a tiny bit guilty that I had caused this feeling. I knew it was bad and it troubled my Raliel and the last thing I wanted was for her to be troubled.

Eventually my Raliel straightened and I crooned to her encouragingly. It was then that she smiled, such a radiant thing to see. I would remember that smile always, even when my memory did not serve me correctly. I was happy for her, and for me, for her happiness was my happiness. But I could feel the gnawing pain of hunger, heating my stomach with its raw burn. _Raliel..._I started hesitantly, not wanting to rush her, but knowing too that I needed to feed. _If we do not hurry, I will not get any food. And I must grow bigger and stronger than all of my clutchmates._

Raliel seemed to notice then that we were alone. Distantly we had both noticed that my siblings had Hatched and found their own humans, but our bond had been the only thing that mattered. It still was. We were alone on the Sands save my mother. I hoped that Grananth would see that I had made a good choice and that Raliel was going to be just as perfect a partner as her Esme was for her.

_We will leave now and get you fed_, Raliel told me. I was happy to hear this, as I was not sure how much longer I could keep my hunger at bay before I simply wasted away from its attacks.

I followed behind Raliel as she led me towards the place I assumed the food was being kept. She glanced frequently back at me and I caught the thought in her mind that she thought I was some sort of illusion that would vanish when she wasn't looking. _I am quite real, thank you! Those siblings of mine need someone to lead them!_ I snorted at my Raliel's absurdity. Was she really still doubtful of my existence? I was a queen, just as much so as my mother, and if I wasn't real, then nothing was.

Raliel stopped and smiled again at me, vanquishing what little irritation had began to build. I knew I was special to her then. I didn't need to try so hard to earn her belief and love. She took me into her arms, which was initially embarrassing for me, but then I realized how good it felt to be close to her, engulfed in her warmth. She did smell, though. Apparently being clean was not on her list of priorities. No matter, it would not take long to cleanse her of that belief. Within my Raliel's embrace, I was soothed and I began to realize how tired I was. As she carried me, I sank into her chest, relishing her warmth and softness and just allowing myself to feel Raliel. Yes, I had made the perfect decision.


	2. Weyrling Training

Weyrling training went smoothly enough, I supposed. We were taught by G'vel, who was bonded to a lovely blue named Amimanth. Raliel had a tendency to be late on occasion, though I would not quite say she made it a habit. I hated to be late. It was a sign of laziness and disinterest and I was neither of those things, despite what Raliel might say. I knew she didn't mean it. As much as my Impression had been a surprise, she loved me completely. She didn't need to tell me as much, as I could feel it every time she looked at me. When our eyes connected, there was such a warmth that spread through me that it was impossible that she truly thought any of those things she said about me were true.

I know she did think I was ridiculous for the cushion I asked for. But my couch was so hard and cold, especially with winter closing in on us. I thought it such a small request, but apparently she did not think so. I know she had to work hard to get it for me, but I was so pleased when she finally did get my cushion. It helped to relieve some of the chill from the icy stone.

The oddest thing happened only a few short months after I Hatched. A strange green arrived at my weyr (thought it was technically still Grananth's weyr at this time) and she was oddly proportioned. As it turned out, this green had eggs! I knew from my earliest lessons that this was supposed to be impossible. Greens were not supposed to be mothers. I did not like that this green was coming in and trying to usurp me. She could never take my place. I was perhaps a little rude to Xadeth, but one could not blame me.

My rider returned to our quarters in the barracks one evening with a new addition to our family. He was a flighty brown firelizard who seemed to be convinced that everything was out to get him. I wasn't sure how I liked the idea of another intruding upon our bond, but if Raliel had already acquired him, I was hardly going to send him away. I vowed to protect him, if a bit grudgingly. A few weeks later I was finally able to do what dragons do best: fly! It was so liberating to be able to finally spread my wings and live up to the legacy of golds who came before me. I would dare to say that I had a perfect flight, setting a great example for my clutchsiblings.

I suppose I got along with my brothers and sisters, though I wasn't sure how I felt about Hectith and Trelilth. They were so strange, definitely female like me, and they looked far less suited to Threadfighting than our small green sisters. Eventually I would find out that they were queens like myself, but of course I was a true queen and they were not. I still outranked both of them. I would say now that I tolerated Hectith, though I was on slightly better terms with Trelilth, mostly because Ilsa did not do anything to get on Raliel's bad side. And I should mention now that that was not a side you wanted to be on.

At my first Gather, I entered in the dragon races and fully expected to win. I was, however, robbed of my victory. My only consolation was that it was Momokath who had won and not Hectith. Still, I remember being very angry and Raliel seemed to think I was over-reacting. It was not right for a green and a...rose-gold to beat a gold at a race! I think the distance was too short and I did not have the opportunity to stretch my wings, giving them the advantage. In a fair flight, I would have won easily.

It was later at the Gather that my rider received a gift from a bronzerider. I had met his dragon, a fine orange-colored bronze named Bannith. He had been polite and properly appreciative of my beauty, which was all I expected. Was it so hard to pay the proper respects to your future senior queen? I could feel something strange in Raliel while she spent time with this man, though it would take me a long while to identify it as the deep affection it would come to be. The gift that he gave her was another firelizard egg and this one held a green that Raliel named Alyx. I like Alyx better than I did Duarte.

My suspicions towards Hectith were proved to be founded when she rose so early on in our lives. She was not even a turn old when she took to the skies on her mating flight. I could not believe how many males she had chasing her! It seemed to be blasphemous that they would pursue her, but then again, greenflights were said to be popular as well. We could not be certain yet what would result in this flight. She was caught by one of the older bronzes, Topath. As long as it was not my Bannith. Of course, I was not nearly as possessive over him then.

Just as Hectith's sides began to swell, a tragedy swept our Weyr. Esme and Grananth were taken from us. I felt the gold's abrupt departure from the world and began to keen for my mother and my mentor. I could feel that Raliel was sad, too. Everyone was sad. Esme had been a great Weyrwoman and Grananth a devoted Senior Queen. They were gone now, leaving the leadership of the Weyr to myself and Raliel. I knew my rider was not ready, nor was I. I was still a weyrling! I wanted everyone to think I could live up to my mother's legacy, but I was not so certain. I knew it was too early for Raliel to be put in this position, but thankfully we had many bronzeriders who would step up and lead the Weyr alongside us. After all, we could not truly be Weyrwoman and Senior Queen until my maiden flight was through. And that moment would come sooner than either of us thought.


	3. Maiden Flight

While Hectith's eggs lay hardening on the Sands, Raliel and I began to hear whispers that we should not be the leaders of the Weyr. Some people seemed to think Naria and her mutant were the proper successors. This was immensely troubling and sparked a great deal of fury in both of us. While Raliel had not ever intended for this to be her life, she did not like that people doubted her so much as to say Naria should be the Weyrwoman. No one knew what these rose-golds were capable of and yet they were so quick to put Hectith on a pedestal. I knew there was more to Raliel's anger, though. It seems that she and Naria had had a falling out in their Candidacy, a trivial thing, really, but my Raliel had a habit of holding on to her anger, pretending to forgive when she was actually holding a grudge. It did not matter to me because secretly I was the same way.****

The irritation over these rumors only grew when it was discovered that Hectith had lain a gold egg. The second I saw the gleaming shell I lost it. I hadn't intended to, but that sight made me furious. It would only give her supporters more reasons why she should be Senior Queen over me. But I also heard that the shell was incredibly thin; all the shells were, in fact. There was a strong possibility that the gold would not make it to Hatching Day, as was the same case for her siblings. I hate to admit it even now, but I hoped that her gold would not Hatch. I was confident in my own merits, but I did not need anymore competition than I already had. If Hectith was proved an unfit mother or incapable of producing a healthy queen, I would be the uncontested Senior Queen.****

During the Candidate's Touching of Hectith's eggs, one of the girls nearly shattered one of the fragile eggs and I could not help but feel a little smug. What use was a dragon if her clutch was so fragile? If the wind blew wrong inside the Hatching Cavern, her clutch would be destroyed. Was that really the kind of Senior Queen our Weyr wanted? No, Red River Weyr could not-and would not-stand for this. Still, my irritation only grew, until there was nothing that could assuage me. I remember that week being furious about everything. The smallest of things set me off. I could not even hold my tongue in lessons. It is a surprise that Amimanth did not reprimand me, but then again, I am a queen and he only a blue.****

The day of Hectith's Hatching came nigh and I knew Raliel and I would be expected to be in attendance. She was practically the Weyrwoman already, just lacking the act of my rising to make the title official. I hated being at that Hatching. I wished ill fortune on all of the eggs as I watched them from my loft. My body seemed to be on fire, trembling with tension and a restlessness I could not explain. And then, just as one of those oddly-marked mutant spawn broke their shell, I could stand it no longer.****

I don't remember my flight beyond what remains in Raliel's memories. I was not myself, given to this animalistic lust that sent me careening into the skies. I know that it was S'ton who ushered my Raliel from the Sands, guiding her to safety. I know I angered Hectith and her mate, Topath. I'm glad. She angers _me_. I remember being disappointed-no. No, that is not right at all. I was _furious _that I did not have more bronzes chasing after me. Only two put themselves to the test, the familiar orange-bronze Bannith and another that I did not recognize. It didn't matter that he was unfamiliar to me. Roanith would become my mate that day, stronger than Bannith, who had strained his wing chasing after my mutant sister.****

Raliel did not like my choice when she awoke. I think, though, that she was in pain. It had been both of our maiden flights and apparently mating is a much more dangerous thing for humans. I know I was sore, but I remember Raliel was crying. I learned from Roanith just as my rider was learning from his rider, F'nar, that he was from Fort Weyr. They were only visiting, bringing a holder to watch his boy in his first Standing. Roanith had always wanted to catch a queen to prove to his rider that he could. I did not mind that I wasn't the first gold he had chased. I knew already he would be loyal to me.**  
****  
**Unfortunately, though, his being from Fort would cause a big problem. Even more unfortunately, this was only a small hitch compared to what Raliel faced after my flight. She had barely awakened when Topath's rider came to her with the bad news. Apparently two weyrlings and two Candidates had been kidnapped during the night. Worst of all, the weyrlings were that wretched gold who had somehow made it out of that brittle shell and another rose-gold mutant like Hectith. Part of me didn't care if they were found, purely from a competitive standpoint, but I also did not want to leave Roanith's side where I was cozy and warm. There was no time for Raliel to make peace with F'nar, who had not even realized Raliel was the Weyrwoman until F'iss had addressed her as such. I knew she was distressed and it distressed me, though I was still caught up in my own contentedness. Human affairs could be so messy and I loathed to become a part of them, though I also hated to see Raliel so upset.****

Raliel spent the rest of the day searching the entire Weyr for the four missing people and the two missing dragons. No one found anything, nor any clue as to where they had gone. I was ready to be done with it, but I knew that they were our responsibility now, as my flight had officially made us Weyrwoman and Senior Queen. Everyone in the Weyr was our responsibility now. As the day wound down, Raliel finally got the chance to speak to F'nar. She didn't want to talk to him, but she knew she owed him an explanation and an apology. He was our Weyrleader now, whether or not everyone liked it. I knew they thought I had made the wrong choice, choosing a dragon who was not even from our own Weyr, but what did they know?****

I remember Roanith speaking directly to my rider, which didn't bother me at first, but then Raliel began to panic. Apparently he had told her that F'nar felt guilty about something, which made her think he knew about S'ton. I wasn't aware anything was happening between Raliel and S'ton, though I had my suspicions after the Gather. Still, it didn't make me regret my choice. I was responsible for providing dragons for the Weyr, which meant I could not always cater to Raliel's choices. I had to choose who I thought was the strongest. It turned out she was worried for no reason, as F'nar was simply guilty that she had to go through this ordeal with a stranger. My Raliel could be so necessarily silly sometimes.****

Raliel and F'nar started to talk about boring human stuff, apparently deciding to get to know each other so they could work as a team. Something like that. I was in favor of the idea, as it would mean Raliel could deal with my choice much easier. I really hadn't intended to make her life difficult and I was sorry that my choice and her choice could not be the same. Of course, though I had heard the tale many times before, I had to listen in when Raliel told of her father. I understand why now my Impression came as such a shock to her and why she felt like she had betrayed the memory of her father.****

**"**I grew up in a small cothold where my family raised all of the beasts for the rest of the families. We most had herdbeasts, but we also kept runners, woolbeasts, and the occasional fowl. Both of my parents were beastcrafters." My rider was trying to be strong, but she was crying. I could see her father's face in her thoughts and feel the love she had in her heart for him and her mother, too. It took her a moment to steady herself and gulp back the tears. I did not interrupt, but I offered her silent comfort, gently pressing my mind against her so that she knew I was there for her. It seemed to help, as she was soon able to continue.****

"My older brother abandoned our family craft to become a smith and my younger sister, Thaeri, was fostered out early on. I think she's a weaver now. I learned everything I could from my parents, especially my father, since Eodai didn't help much at all. I loved those beasts. I still do. Even after I Impressed Kessuth, I kept up my studies, though now that I am Weyrwoman, I will be looking into a replacement for that sorry excuse of a beastcrafter that we have." I snorted softly at that. Kabak, as the man was called, was incredibly stupid, as I was witness to time and time again. Raliel should have been the Weyr's beastcrafter over him.****

The sad part was coming now and I was especially vigilant in my watch over Raliel. "My father..." she started. I knew how much this was hurting her, even such a long time after it had happened. She could barely tell the tale without breaking down and my Raliel so hated to appear weak in front of others. "My father died just a few Turns ago, when I was nineteen. A dragon flying overhead scared up a stampede. He was too old to get away from them." She paused and I saw the memory before she told it to F'nar, shuddering at the possibility that it presented. "The same thing happened to me when I was twenty-three, but I was able to get away from the herd. Only to be found by a blue Searchdragon, who insisted on taking me to Red River. Since I was nearly too old to be a Candidate, I decided to go and get this duty over with, never expecting...never expecting to Impress Kessuth. But I certainly can't complain too much. She chose me, so obviously there was something she saw in me."****

I crooned to Raliel, showing her how much I loved her. I was so glad she was sharing this with F'nar, someone who could help her in this time of need. He seemed strong and Roanith did, too. We would produce a fine clutch and even if Hectith's daughters were not found, we would build the Weyr's numbers with our eggs. F'nar seemed to want to work with Raliel, rather than run away from this on account of it "not being his Weyr" or some silly thing I imagine any other man might have said. I knew Raliel would grow to like him, or at least tolerate him, and she knew as well as I did that this man would be a good leader.


	4. Raliel and S'ton

I have never seen Raliel cry so much as she did in the days after my flight. I thought she was the strong type of person who never cried, but it seemed that all of the stress was hitting her all at once. She was the Weyrwoman now, officially, as I had been the first queen to rise after Grananth's death. The people who whispered that Naria should be Weyrwoman were forgetting that very important tradition. I think if Raliel had had S'ton by her side she might not have been as distressed. But it seems that my flight had finally made her realize how she felt about the bronzerider, as much of her time was spent wondering over how things might have been different had I chosen Bannith instead of Roanith. She might have had more of the Weyr behind her supporting her, but I could not help that. There would still be naysayers even if I had.

Then there was the worry over the missing Weyrlings and Candidates. Several days had passed without a sign. None of the dragons could feel them, leading everyone to think that they were truly gone. Not just taken, but dead. I felt a little guilty for wishing that they were never found, but there was no way that my ill wishes could have caused their death. That was just silly. Raliel seemed to think that people blamed her for the kidnapping and possible murder and that her leadership was already destined to fail if she could not even find them.

One evening, the evening of the fourth day since my flight, Raliel ran into S'ton. Quite literally, in fact, as she abruptly collided with him while rounding a corner of a dark corridor. I could feel the tension building within her immediately, which was the only reason I was paying attention to their conversation. I am glad I did, or I might not have understood Raliel's thoughts the next day. S'ton asked about the missing ones and Raliel was forced to tell him bad news. They had not yet been found, of course, and he would know that as well. Raliel was conflicted, so much so that I could not have slept had I tried. She wanted to be comforted by S'ton, but she did not know how the Weyr would take to having their Weyrwoman involved with someone who was not the Weyrleader. It seemed like such a silly thing to me, but I suppose that elsewhere on Pern she might have been viewed as an adultress. I think this was her concern, anyways. She did not seem to be as intent on remaining strong like she had with F'nar, but her feelings for S'ton were much different.

Raliel was on the brink of tears despite S'ton's reassurances. "Raliel... We'll find them. The dragons would know if anything had happened to them. Wherever they are, they're okay..." he told her, but it did not comfort her at all. If they were not at Red River, where were they? I could feel her frustration, and she was frustrated for so many different reasons. She wanted him to stop talking about the missing ones for some reason and even more confusingly, she _wanted_to talk about her feelings. That was odd enough in itself that I had to listen closer.

S'ton suddenly embraced Raliel and I wasn't sure what to think about that. Her tears began to flow, so I thought he had somehow harmed her. I was so close to waking Roanith and going after S'ton, but then he said, "Raliel, we'll fix all this. I don't know how yet, but we will. We have to..." No, he hadn't upset her, though her sobs now came harder. I could feel a slight release in her mind, a relief of some of the tensions that had been building up. It seemed as though this release also unveiled emotions she had been trying to hide from me. She was guilty for my choice and a little resentful. I thought to recoil, but no, I had to see that my rider was okay. I did not like that I had caused her this pain and I did not like that she was angry at me over my flight, even if it was just a small bit. She still thought I had chosen wrong, and despite how sure I had been of my choice, the seed of self doubt had been planted in my mind.

"It's not your fault... None of it is your fault..." Raliel's response to those words knocked me back. _I__could__have__stopped__her__!_ I was reeling. Why would she have stopped my rising? I could not have helped it. It had been the right time to me, even if others might not have agreed. While I worked to understand the fury behind her words, Raliel tried to puzzle out what it was that made her want S'ton over F'nar. She tried to tell herself she knew him no better than the other man, but then she remembered the Gather and his gift of Alyx. S'ton was crying too now as he continued to soothe my rider. "You've got me," he told her and I felt Raliel stiffen at those words, resistant. "You've always got me..."

She didn't believe him of course. Even if he wanted to be there for her, what extent would be allowed before the people of the Weyr deemed their relationship inappropriate. She could never have him the way she wanted, not unless Bannith could one day catch me. I thought on that for a moment. Bannith would have been an equally good mate had he not been injured, but I was happy with Roanith. He was strong and a good companion. It seemed unlikely at that time that I would choose Bannith in my next flight, but it was so far away that I did not care to think overmuch on the subject.

S'ton seemed to realize that they could not stay in that corridor for much longer if they wanted their conversation to remain private, as he was encouraging Raliel to go to the dining caverns. I agreed with this decision. Sneaking around in dark corridors would only raise suspicion and since Raliel was concerned with how others might think of her should she pursue S'ton, it was best to avoid those suspicions. "Let's go get you cleaned up. I'll walk with you... if you want, that is..." he offered and Raliel reluctantly pulled away. I could feel that she already hated to be without him and I wished there was some way I could comfort her. Gently I pressed my mind against hers, trying to soothe her without cluing her in that I had been listening.

"I'll go with you, I'll support you." he reaffirmed. Raliel accepted his offer and together they went down to the dining caverns. To the Weyr they might appear to only be a bronzerider paying respects to his Weyrwoman, perhaps discussing where the search was headed next, but I knew better. I felt a prick of guilt for the stress I caused my rider, but I could not undo it. Raliel would have to live with my decision and it would make her stronger. I knew she would make it through this disaster, even if she did not. F'nar was a capable man and so was S'ton and I had confidence that both would see her through.


	5. Search and Discovery

Raliel sent riders to every hold on Pern to search for the missing weyrlings and Candidates. When that returned no leads, she sent riders to every Weyr, though she was almost certain none would be taking in a strange mutant queen and a tiny gold. She was told that Hectith's gold had been barely the size of a green hatchling and so pale as to almost be white. She had even less respect for Naria and her dragon now, trying to play at creating a queen and failing so miserably. Surely the runt would have been better off dead. But no, an undersized creature could still be valuable and she'd always seen the merits in tiny animals. Raliel could never kill a dragon, either, nor wish it dead, knowing it would surely send the rider to their death, whether it was by their own hand or not. However, her feelings towards Hectith's gold were anything but soothed when she learned it was Naria's own sister who had Impressed.

The weather was growing cold and snowfall would soon top Red River's peaks and blanket the valley, making it impossible to find the missing ones if they were even still alive. So it was decided that there would be one last search before the first snow. All the riders were gathered in the Weyr Bowl, much as they would be when Thread began to fall again on Pern. That day was steadily drawing near. I could feel it just as much as my fellow dragons could. Our ancient enemy would be returning soon. As we were awaiting the arrival of each rider, Alyx began to grow distressed at Raliel's emotional state. I saw that she wanted to make her happy, but I could not have guessed what she would do.

Suddenly the green lept _between_ and I felt her absence immediately. I could not feel the little green cousin anymore! Neither could Raliel, as plainly heard in her desperate cry, "NO! Alyx!" But she was already gone, lost _between_. I crooned softly to my rider, trying to comfort her, but it had been so suddenly my own mind was still trying to catch up. Brown Duarte still remained and he crouched close, also trying to comfort Raliel. I knew she was heavily hit by the loss, but I could also feel her resolve. Even if she was dying inside, she knew she had to put on a brave face for the Weyr. That was the Raliel I had Impressed to, the strong woman who had I been drawn to inexplicably.

We should have known that the dark clouds gathering in the skies overhead would be a bad omen. I could feel the temperature dropping and it made me uneasy. There was a storm brewing and it was questionable whether we would beat the storm. The wind blew at my hide, droplets of moisture within its icy tendrils, and I knew instinctively that the search was ill-fated. But we had to press on regardless. We had to do all we could to try to find the missing weyrlings and Candidates. We owed them this final search.

Soon the Weyr's force was gathered in the Bowl and F'nar, as our Weyrleader, gave the signal to go aloft. Each wing was given their coordinates and the Weyr blinked _between_, leaving behind only the weyrlings and those unable to fly due to injury or illness. I searched for a long time, though I could not be sure just how long, my eyes straining for any sign. It was growing colder and the wind was growing stronger. Soon one of my clutchmates came to us, bringing a report of the strengthening storm over Nabol. N'mat and Lombreth had been tossed about in the strong winds and pelted by freezing rain. It seems we would not beat winter. Winter would beat us.

I could feel my rider weighing the decisions in her mind. Did we press on and risk injury or was it time to return to the Weyr and potentially leave the missing ones to the mercy of this terrible storm? Soon after, Raliel decided that six lives were not worth the risk of the entire Weyr. They would have to turn back and shelter in the Weyr to wait out the storm. After it had passed, they would try again if any hope remained to be seen. She told me to give the call and so I did, ushering the Weyr's forces back to the safety of our home.

Sadly, one pair did not listen. I felt their departure from this world and raised my voice in a shrill keen. My sister! Ilsa and Trelilith were gone and I did not even know how. I would not see her again. For all that I loathed my sister Hectith, I enjoyed the company of Trelilith. She could be annoying with her anxious worrying, but she didn't rub me the wrong way like Hectith did. Of course, she hadn't risen before me and produced a sorry excuse for a gold who'd gone and gotten herself kidnapped, either. And Raliel didn't have anything against Ilsa. So that might have had something to do with it.

We never did find the missing ones. The storm was a bad one, depositing several feet of snow and uprooting several trees in the valley with its strong winds. With the severity of the storm, everyone had accepted that hope was lost. If they had been alive, they certainly wouldn't have survived that storm. The temperatures alone would have ensured that. The Weyr's population warmed and I could not help but feel a prick of sympathy for Hectith, who had been robbed of her precious daughters. I knew that when my own daughters Hatched, I would let none of them come to harm. She should have watched them more carefully, kept them closer, whatever it was that would have prevented this. I was convinced that I would not have let this happen.

Raliel soon discovered that she was egg-heavy, or pregnant as she called it. I didn't know it right away, though. She was so distressed, a ball of guilt and pain and sadness. I was worried that someone had died and that it had somehow been her fault. _Kessuth! We need to go somewhere. I need to get away,_ she told me as she ran to me carrying our riding straps. Naturally, I was alarmed by the intensity of her emotions. They were so clustered that I could not understand them or even discern them from one another. As I thought I had identified one, another ran through her mind so rapidly my head spun. I wished she would just slow down so I could make sense of it all!

_What is wrong, Raliel?_ I remember asking. I needed to be able to understand what was wrong with my rider. But she could not make sense of it enough to tell me. _I-I just need to leave. _I was truly worried now. If Raliel was not able to tell me what was wrong, she was very distressed indeed. I searched through her mind, trying to figure out what had triggered this. I could only find the images of the two men in Raliel's life, her Weyrleader, F'nar, and her love, S'ton. What had they done to her? My rider was so broken and I could not mend her.

I think perhaps I might have been able to, had S'ton not shown up at that very moment. I wanted to hiss at him as he took her into his arms and ward him away from Raliel so that I might protect her and soothe her myself. I could feel her guilt growing, overwhelming her until she could only sob against him. And then I discovered what was weighing so heavily upon her. This was the moment I found out that she would be bringing her own life into the world. She should be proud of her ability to populate the Weyr! I knew I was proud of the clutch that was growing now in my belly. But I knew this was different somehow. Then I realized...she wished it was S'ton's child. She wanted it to be his so badly, but it was F'nar's and she feared what S'ton would think. I could feel Raliel's fear of rejection and I wanted to reassure her, but human romance was so complex. Too complex for me to comprehend, even as smart a queen as I was.

She told S'ton then, blurting it out when it became too much for her to bear alone. S'ton was silent for so long and I could feel that Raliel thought all was lost. A bugle erupted from my muzzle, as if by pure force I could make him accept her and make her pain go away. And then..."Are you... are you going to keep it?" I could feel Raliel withering, shrinking within herself. She didn't want the child. I knew Raliel did not like children. She seemed to like small creatures and had liked me well enough and she was especially fond of the newborn herdbeasts, but for some reason she hated the idea of bearing children. I could see why this devastated her so much. If she was forced to bear a child, she would have wanted it to be S'ton's.

"We can find a greenrider who'll... who'll help," he suggested. "Or it can go to the creche. You have responsibility for the whole Weyr, no one will begrudge you that. You don't... You don't have to keep it..." Then suddenly he declared, "I could take it. You and... and the Weyrleader wouldn't have to worry then. I could raise it." Raliel's guilt continued to surge and she released an anguished mental cry, sobbing heavily into S'ton's chest. She would not let him do this. "I would do it... for you..." No. Raliel was firm in this. She could not allow him to raise the child she had conceived with another man. She couldn't do that to him, knowing how much it would tear him apart. I struggled to follow her reasoning and eventually stopped trying. My rider was upset and there was nothing I could do. She had to work this out with S'ton on her own, as much as I hated to admit.

"S'ton...I-I couldn't," she told him. "N-n-not F-f'nar's..." And wouldn't you know that F'nar and Roanith would appear at that very moment? I blamed myself, as Roanith had picked up on my mental duress, brought about by my inability to calm Raliel. F'nar came upon Raliel and S'ton while they were still wrapped in each other's embrace. He was not happy. I would not have been either. If I found Roanith curled up with a green or Hectith, I would have been very angry. "What-What is going on?! Kessuth-….Raliel are yo-" he sputtered and I could feel that Raliel was only made even more guilty by what he had witnessed. She didn't want to hurt him and she wanted to stand with him as the leaders of this Weyr, but...he was not S'ton. He was not familiar. He was not the man who have gifted her with a firelizard even though they had scarcely known each other. Instead, F'nar was the man who had put this burden of motherhood on her without even knowing that she disliked children.

S'ton was the first to act and I felt angry when I saw him attack my mate's rider. "You hurt her! How dare you!" he cried at F'nar. Thankfully Bannith held him back, restraining him from doing any serious damage to F'nar and Roanith also blocked his brawny rider. But the real damage was done to Raliel, who was suddenly faint in my mind. She couldn't breathe! I reached to nuzzle her and watched as she clutched at her collar, her breaths coming too fast and too shallow. What had they done to her? My Raliel was going to die because of these men! I wanted to ward them off, bid them both to be gone while I tended to her, but I knew nothing about healing and I was forced to admit that Raliel would be better off if one of the men took her to the healers. She needed help right away.

F'nar broke away from Roanith and rushed to Raliel, and I saw S'ton crumple on the ground, clearly guilty. As well he should be. If those two men hadn't insisted upon fighting over something that neither of them could control, my Raliel wouldn't have been in this situation. But it seemed that the end of the threat of violence brought her some relief, as her chest began to loosen and she was able to draw a normal breath again. She soon slipped from consciousness, however, which sent me into a momentary panic until I realized she was sleeping.

I followed F'nar as he scooped her up and took her to the healers, fretting over my rider. I could not be certain Roanith could be trusted with Raliel, even if he was a good mate. If anything happened to her, I could not bear to live. Raliel was as important and necessary to me as breathing and eating and without her I would have nothing to live for. I could not be certain that Roanith would understand how important she was to me and that he would display the same level of carefulness that I would have exercised with her. But she could not ride on my withers in the state that she was in, so I had to trust in my mate and allow him to convey her to safety.

S'ton broke the news to F'nar that Raliel was pregnant, brokenly telling him, "Be careful with her. You don't want to hurt the baby." I just wanted them to take Raliel to the healers. No more fussing over this or that. But F'nar seemed shocked by the news and it delayed his trip to the infirmary. I silently urged Roanith to hurry, perhaps exerting some of my will as queen over him, though it did not seem to make anything go any faster. Time still dragged on until finally my rider was brought to the healers and they scurried around her, making sure she was still okay. Of course, her emotional health was another matter entirely.


	6. My Children Hatch

Clutching is very painful. It hurts far worse than any injuries I have received in a mating flight. It felt like every egg I pushed through my body would tear me apart. Each and every one of my children started their life by trying to kill me. At least, it felt like that. And I was stuck cowering over the sands, trembling as my body pushed each one of them out. I was so tired and I just wanted to lay down and sleep, but the eggs pressed at me with an urgency I could not ignore. I know my rider was scared, feeling an echo of my pain and thinking that something was wrong with the babe in her own womb. But this pain was all my own. I know Raliel tried to comfort me as best she could while I whimpered, but there was nothing she could have done to spare me from that.

It took so many hours, I couldn't even be sure how many, and by the end I was certain I could not bear to birth another egg. But there was one last one weighing in my womb, and I could feel its size would be a problem. This final egg pressed at me and I thought certainly I was about to be rent in two, screaming my pain while Raliel panicked, sure that I was dying. I could not even reassure her, so great was my pain. Then finally! my last egg was on the Sands, plopping wetly. I was empty and I sagged with great relief. Tiredly I surveyed my clutch and there, where my last egg had fallen, was a gleaming gold egg. I had provided my Weyr with a golden daughter all my own! I felt a sense of accomplishment flood me, but exhaustion was also threatening to overtake me. My last act before I slipped into a deep slumber was to roll the golden egg between my forepaws so that I could protect her from everyone. I heard Raliel's soft murmurs that told me I had done well and then I was asleep.

I didn't let anyone close to my clutch. It was my first and after hearing that some girl had nearly squashed one of Hectith's eggs, I wasn't about to let the dimglows near my children. They could meet them when the eggs Hatched and no sooner. When that day came, it surprised me. I had been trying to sleep when one of my eggs hit another, making quite a ruckus. But when I awoke and looked, I saw no movement. And then suddenly one of the eggs rocked and I told Raliel immediately, excitement taking hold. _Raliel! It-it moved! It moved! They're Hatching, they're Hatching!_ I didn't care that I was being repetitive then. All that mattered was that my children were making their first appearances in the world. I began to hum encouragingly and shortly I was joined by Duarte. It would be a matter of moments before we were joined by more voices and all of us would herald the arrival of my beautiful children.

The Candidates seemed to take too long to arrive and I hunched over my egg as I waited, nosing at several of them, which only helped to incite their movements. Some of them were fairly jumping by now and I knew they would Hatch soon! The Candidates needed to arrive very shortly or they would miss my babies. And if any of them went _between_ because their lifemate was not there, I would make it my personal mission to punish them. I did not know how I would accomplish this, but I was certain of it. Each of my twenty eggs would Hatch and Impress to only the best.

Finally the Candidates began to file onto the Sands and I could not help but growl broodily at them for taking so long. My first child to make his entrance was Bronze Amonth, his hide a burnished yellow-bronze that spoke of health and power. His rider was a quiet young man and I approved of this match, crooning to my son as they went to find food. I could feel that some thought they should have been the bronze's rider and I fixed them with a glare before continuing to hum for my children. My next child was a green, bright and vibrant, already resisting the attempts of the Candidates to help her. She did not need their help! I crooned proudly at her and watched as she found her match in a small boy who seemed to be frightened of her. She had made a bit of a mess in her passing, clawing a few Candidates, but it would not do for him to be afraid. I would keep an eye on Tefnuth to be sure her rider found his courage sometime.

Next to Hatch was a handsome brown, his rich hide rippling with hints of red. Horusth chose one of the boys who thought he would have been a better rider for the bronze and I could not help but be a little smug that he thought he had been slighted. Foolish boy, thinking that one of _my _children would make the wrong choice. No, he was clearly meant for Horusth and he would learn to love him. There was a girl who seemed to insist on bothering me with her singing, though I suppose her voice was pleasant enough. I regarded her carefully, wanting to be certain she w-*ould not approach my golden daughter, who had yet to show any true signs of Hatching. But I had waited until after many of my siblings were Hatched, too, and I wanted my daughter to have a grand entrance. This party was all for her, after all.

Roanith settled himself beside me, crooning proudly and I could not help but give in to his affections. These were his children, too, and only he could have produced such wonderful hatchlings. I felt that Raliel was being sought out by F'nar and he came to sit beside her, making her feel uneasy. But she had to accept that he was her Weyrleader and even if she still stubbornly clung to her "what if"s, she needed to put that all aside now. My eggs were Hatching and she needed to focus on that!

Another brown Hatched then, Anubisth, his hide so dark! He made his way to an odd young man, an inventor or something, whatever he wanted to call himself. I could feel that Raliel was proud of me and I preened. I had made such beautiful children! They were all making wonderful bonds, each picking well. A small egg revealed a bright sky blue dragon who Impressed to a dark-haired boy. Another good choice made by Apisth, my strong and courageous son. There was a girl arriving now who was very late and I rumbled warningly to her, my only admonishment for not clearing her schedule. My Hatching was important and she was late?! She would be lucky if she Impressed one of my children, because I frankly did not feel that she deserved it. Nor did the next girl who was equally late. What right did they have to expect an Impression when they could not even pay my hatchlings the proper respect?

One of my daughters was next, a vibrant green who chose a girl named Alea. Basteth nearly possessed the ability to be a queen like myself and my rumble now was akin to a chuckle at the strong will she had in her arsenal. A scream tore through the air and I feared that one of my children was dying, but it was only blue Babith expressing his frustration at being enclosed by a group of girls. What they had been doing around his egg was beyond me and they were labelled fools just as those who thought they should have a bronze like Amonth. My humming increased as he found his match and I eagerly awaited the next hatchling. There was a brown who broke his shell next, Impressing to a boy named K'mar, another match I approved of. After all, K'mar had not been late like some of them had been, many of the girls, actually. Were females incapable of being on time?

The only dark spot on this Hatching was the presence of Hectith's oddly marked children, all of them abominations in my eyes. They had strange markings on their flanks, on their tails, all over their bodies, as if their coloring could somehow make up for the fact that it was Hectith who had bore them. Suddenly my golden daughter's egg stirred, shaking for only a moment before cracks ran the length of the shell. I backed away hurriedly to give her the proper amount of space, not wanting to hinder her Impression. Her egg fell at her efforts in almost perfect halves and I crooned proudly at my daughter for her grace. She stalked the line of girls who had come for her, but she seemed not to have found anyone. But then she paused and went back over them again, considering them even more carefully. And then she selected the girl who had been singing earlier, trying to win me over with her voice. A bit of an unexpected match, but I would not question my daughter. Wadjeth was a queen just as I was and I knew she was sensible enough to make the right choice.

Some of the excitement was alleviated once my daughter had Hatched, but there were still many eggs remaining on the Sands. I would not leave-or relax-until all had broken their shells. Roanith's presence helped some, but I fretted unnecessarily that something would go wrong. I could still hear murmurs of awe over my golden daughter, which I felt very proud of. Of course I had produced a beautiful young queen, her hide nearly the same shade as mine. Raliel would train Meridia to be a good queenrider and Naria would help, too. I could hear some of the Candidates saying that they would far rather have a green and I was suspicious of them at first. Why would they lie? Who would not want to Impress my golden daughter? But I sensed some truth in their words and the greens from my clutch would also need lifemates just the same as Wadjeth. Hmm. They could stay, then.

Meridia began to sing then and my curiosity was piqued. I would have rather she took Wadjeth to be fed and get clean immediately, but if she chose to pay tribute now, I would allow this. Her song was pleasant, singing both Wadjeth's and my praises. I watched as she began to cry, though I knew these must be happy tears as no one would cry at Impressing a queen. Then I remembered Raliel's tearful reception of my own Hatching and crooned soothingly to the pair. I hoped that no one had to experience what my Raliel had gone through.

Carefully a blue broke his shell and his hide was truly a thing of wonder. Thoth was a beautiful royal blue, a deep, sultry color that conjured images of wealth and power. He Impressed to a woman streaked with colors of her own, but she seemed good enough. My next child was a bronze and I watched as two older boys stepped in front of a younger Candidate in an attempt to Impress the bronze themselves. My calm demeanor broke then and I started to growl, but the little bronze was already crying out, freezing them in their tracks. In no uncertain terms, he told them to move and it was the young boy that he chose. Rath had made his choice in F'shar and I knew his strength would give the boy the courage he needed to be a dragonrider.

Green Nuth was the next to make her appearance, sporting small lighter-green spots on the underside of her wing that resembled the stars in the sky. She Impressed to one of the late ones and I watched them as they left the Sands to find food. Another of the late girls Impressed to the bright Hathorth and I could feel the match was very well-made with those two. My eggs were nearly all Hatched now and they were breaking at a rapid pace, barely waiting for their clutchsiblings to Impress before another one opened. When the next of my children Hatched, I worried that perhaps I had created a new color, as the dark blue hatchling was very nearly purple. I sniffed at him curiously. He seemed like a blue...so I would leave it at that. He Impressed to Va'lle and I awaited the remainder of my children, beginning to grow tired.

Only six of my eggs were left whole, still trapping my children the way my own egg had trapped me. I crooned sympathetically and encouragingly, hoping that they would not have to be within that dark, tight place for too much longer. Another green was soon on the Sands looking for her lifemate and I followed her progress as she nosed at one girl, then suddenly turned, lashing out angrily. I was perplexed by the change and assumed the girl had done something to upset my daughter. I growled low in my throat, a single warning tone, and kept a close eye on her. Soon the green chose a small boy and set about mothering her new lifemate.

The next green was far less volatile, comically rocking her egg once she had gotten her head free. The blindingly-bright green soon made it out of her shell and made her Impression and I turned my attention back to the four eggs that remained. I paused to nuzzle Roanith, happy that the Hatching was going so well. Another green emerged and I was proud at how many of the fighting dragons I had produced. Wadjeth was beautiful and would serve her Weyr well, but I knew, too, that greens were important for Threadfall. I would never allow my daughter to meet Thread, even if I knew that Raliel wanted to one day form a wing of queens to assist the fighting force. This green's shell flew through the air, cutting one of the girls, who Sekhmeth ended up choosing for her own. Three more...no two, as a blue had just made his Impression right after the green's. Two more of my children left to Hatch.

I fanned my wings proudly as one of my final eggs Hatched another bronze, his hide a brilliant, sunny color. The boy Atenth chose hardly looked the part of a bronzerider, but he would learn. Atenth would be a good teacher. I turned my anxious eyes to the last egg, willing it to Hatch. And it worked! The shell split suddenly and a teal blue sprang from the fragments, already snarling at the world. I understood his frustration at being cooped up for so long. Another late arrival was to be his choice, a girl named Mal. Mal and Seth seemed to be well-matched, but I also sensed that they might cause problems. That was for G'vel and Amimanth to deal with, however. My children had all Hatched and Impressed successfully and now, at last, I could rest.


	7. The Ill-Fated Feast

I was wary to let my hatchlings out of my sight since two of Hectith's children had been kidnapped just a few short months before. They had never been found, until one rider had found four decomposing bodies and two that looked like they were roughly the right size to be dragons. It was hard to tell, as they were largely stripped of their flesh and still frozen over. The rider had not taken a close look, as the sight was enough to confirm that the missing ones were dead. I did not want any of my children to die, nor their new riders, and least of all, Wadjeth and Meridia. I would not make the same mistake that Hectith had.

I am certain that Amimanth was annoyed with me for interrupting his sleep to constantly check up on my children, though he had started out amused by my worry. I could not help that I was a better mother than Hectith. Eventually, though, I failed to rouse myself from my brief spurts of slumber and I slept until just before the Feast. Raliel was worrying over what to wear, which I thought was rather silly until I realized that she was only worrying over her clothing to distract her from the true root of her worries: S'ton and F'nar. She knew that both would want to congratulate her for my wonderful clutch and she did not trust herself to be a proper Weyrwoman. She had a ways to go until she was able to control her emotions, especially regarding her delicate situation. By now she was visibly pregnant and I could see visions of the haunted look in S'ton's eyes dancing in her thoughts. _You think too much about him, Raliel. It does you no good,_ I counseled. _I know, Kessuth,_ she responded sadly, but I knew it was harder to act on the words than it was for me to say them.

Raliel had tried to take her mind of things earlier by supervising the clean-up of the Sands, but that task had only lasted so long before she was done. And now that she had finally selected her outfit-a brown blouse with pale yellow stitching and a pair of wide-legged cream trousers-she was left with no other choice than to confront her worries. I watched carefully as she mounted me, making sure she would be okay to ride even with her belly beginning to swell in pregnancy. Perhaps I was silly to worry so much, but the child felt like so much more of a burden in my mind than it was physically, all because of how heavily it weighed on Raliel's mind. I carried her down to the Dining Hall and deposited her, then I took a position on the cliff overlooking the weyrling barracks so that I would see when Raliel exited the Hall and also so I could keep watch over my children.

I could feel Raliel's mind suddenly burst into many different emotions and found the image of S'ton and J'ack in her mind. I latched onto the betrayal I felt within her and the outrage. This man...the man she wanted by her side so badly was...he was courting a greenrider?! And worse yet, it was not even a woman. I had never felt a strong reaction to male couples within Raliel before but now she was clearly disgusted by it, or at least she thought she was. But deep inside, I could feel that she was heartsick. It was not the fact that J'ack was a man that provoked her the most, but that S'ton had found someone else. She knew she shouldn't feel this way. If they couldn't truly be together, why should she expect him to wait for her? If it would have eased Raliel's pain, I would have risen that very day, but this was an impossibility and nothing could make it all go away.

I could feel Raliel's emotions funnel into a desperate need to escape. She had to get away from S'ton and J'ack, far, far away. I thought of sweeping her away from the Feast right this minute, but she had a duty to appear as the Weyrwoman, especially since this Feast was in our honor. She couldn't get far enough and she couldn't forget her troubles with the aid of wine, as too much could harm the child growing within her body, harming her in the process. She grew angry, feeling stuck, and I almost pitied F'nar for having to deal with her whenever he arrived.

There was a suddenly tap on her shoulder and Raliel's anger only increased at being bothered, only to be abruptly severed by shock. It was J'ack, with S'ton in tow. I grew perplexed. What was he doing? Had he come to gloat to Raliel? "It has come to my attention that there is a bit of a problem between we three. Mainly it seems due to a communication issue between you two," he said. Raliel was just as confused as I was and just as suspicious, but she was also embarrassed that her personal life was being discussed by someone she hardly knew. J'ack lifted my rider's hand and said, "Raliel? You like S'ton, in a non platonic way, Correct?" He paused to lift S'ton's hand. "And S'ton? You feel a completely non-platonic desire for Raliel, yes?" He put their hands together and I could feel the thrill of emotion that ran through Raliel. I wanted nothing more than to rescue her, but this went far beyond my understanding of human emotions. It seemed to go beyond Raliel's understanding as well. "Talk about it! And then act on it!" And with that, J'ack was gone, leaving her and S'ton alone in a crowd of people.

I quietly urged Raliel to do as the man asked and speak to S'ton, but she seemed unable to conjure up any words. I even tried to push words at her and still she said nothing. She had let go of S'ton's hand as if somehow the lack of physical contact would also allow her to end the emotional connection. Yet, it clearly didn't work that way because all she could think about was him. I saw then that F'nar had arrived and that he was not happy. In a soft tone, I warned her, _Be careful, Raliel. He is very angry! _And then F'nar came, placing his hands on my Raliel like she was something to be owned! I wanted to release my fury on Roanith for allowing his rider to do something so foolish when Raliel was in such a delicate emotional state, but my concern was for my rider right now. Her discomfort rolled off of her in thick waves as he brushed against the life he had created in her, the life she unwillingly carried. Then he was brushing a strand of hair from her face and rubbing his thumb along her scar.

Raliel spoke his name in a threatening growl and I felt a little smug at her reaction. She was about to tell him in no uncertain terms that she did not want him to touch her, especially not like that. She would have told him off right there had a brown firelizard not suddenly arrived, shrieking in distress. Raliel had a moment of panic and I knew she sought Duarte. _He is here with me and Roanith, Raliel. Do you want him? I will send him to you, _I reassured her, nudging the little brown along. I felt her relief as he reached her, but it was only for a moment. Her knees buckled at the same moment that a single word screamed through her mind.

THREAD.

A small slip of hide was all that heralded the return of our ancient enemy, a desperate message from Longcliff, our only tithing hold. All of the happiness had been sucked from the celebration in one swift word. _Kessuth! Alert the fighting dragons. It is time for our battle._ It took me a moment to recover from my own shock, but then I was relaying the news to Roanith and bugling for all of the dragons to ready themselves. The Weyr erupted into activity as weyrlings were sent to retrieve firestone sacks and riders were sent scurrying to their weyrs to don fighting leathers and riding straps. I could sense Raliel's strong desire to fight alongside the others, defending the place she had come to call home, and my own need to destroy the menace made me antsy. Hope blossomed within both of our breasts. Would we be allowed to fight?


	8. First Threadfall

F'nar had told us to stay grounded. No, he had _commanded_ us to stay grounded. It felt like turns had passed since anyone had commanded me to do anything. Raliel chafed against the restriction, too, but in this one case, the Weyrleader held rank over her. Where Threadfall was concerned, the Weyrleader, not the Weyrwoman, was the final authority. Still, I was uneasy. I knew instinctively that I should be in the skies, not chewing firestone and flaming of course, but bearing Raliel and a flame-thrower to eradicate our enemy. We should be there to catch our comrades should they fall, at the very least, but no, I was one of only two mature breeding females and the risk was too great. I did not believe I would fall to Thread's menace, but the threat was apparently too great in everyone else's eyes.

_Raliel, why can't I fly? It's Thread, Raliel. We must go fight it!_ I insisted, but Raliel was firm. I knew that my protests would go unheeded, but I still had to try. I was desperate to help in the fight somehow, just as my rider was. _Kessuth, I...I need you to help. Bannith and the weyrlings are hauling firestone right now. You are big and strong and you need to go help them. You can carry far more than the weyrlings and even more than Bannith, especially since you are healthy._ I was uncertain about helping Bannith after the distress his rider had caused mine and I really wanted nothing to do with Hectith's strange-looking weyrlings, but this was the opportunity I needed to keep my mind off the Thread spores hissing through the skies over Longcliff Hold. I did not want to think about Thread, but I could not help but imagine a black thing with a twisted, snarling face, maw held open to devour a dragon's wing. I shuddered.

I hesitated for only a moment and then went to their aid, announcing my arrival with a bugle. While weyrling riders piled the firestone sacks onto my harness, Raliel found the healers and busied herself preparing supplies for the incoming injuries. With this being our first true Threadfall, the injuries would be great as riders struggled to apply their training to the real life danger of Thread. I could feel her irritation when Naria began shouting orders, being a healer herself, and one of the most skilled healers in the Weyr now, with many of them being oddly absent. It was not a great start to a Threadfall and the wings would be lucky to catch it before it fell on the Hold proper and destroyed their lands. As it was, the ground crews would have quite a job ahead of them to clean up the burrows that had already started while the Weyr readied themselves for battle.

Firestone sacks were tossed to riders, who began to feed their dragons immediately, reminding them to take care not to chew through their own tongues. For most the warning was a silly precaution that would have earned them a pointed look, but for some of my clutchmates, it was warranted. Even once every rider had enough sacks to carry them into battle, we continued to ferry them into the Bowl where they could be easily tossed for a resupply. There would be no weyrlings old enough to carry the spare sacks, so the riders would have to resupply themselves. The wings gathered in the Weyr now and I paused to watch them lift into the air. Only a few remained behind, ready to jump in when the first string blues and greens lost their wind. There would be only so much that the smaller dragons could do before the strain was too much. Raliel and I watched together as F'nar's arm came up in the age-old signal and then the Weyr's strength disappeared _between. _Nervously I felt for them, feeling their faint echo, which was enough to reassure me that they still remained in his life.

Raliel's reaction to the sight was quite unexpected, her worry so great that she suddenly became sick. I abandoned my job helping ferry firestone sacks to rush to her side. Her baby! But more importantly, my Raliel! One of the weyrlings came to her aid, F'red, who had Impressed from Hectith's clutch. I nosed at him anxiously, but he reassured me that he would take care of her, so I allowed him to sling an arm around her waist and guide her to a chair to rest. I knew it was the last thing Raliel wanted to do, but for the sake of her health I urged her to remain still. And then Naria and S'ton were coming to investigate and I worried that they would crowd her. I glanced back at the sound of a commotion to see that Topath was landing in the Bowl, his rider unconscious on his back, but I could do nothing for the rider, so I chose to focus on my own, who was heaving again though her stomach had little left to give. Before returning my attention to her, however, I caught sight of the raw Threadscore along the bronze's neck, getting my first taste of Thread's ruthlessness.

Suddenly Bannith began to keen and it took me only a moment before I, too, felt the loss and raised my voice. A second bronze had been caught by Thread, this time my brother, Pycoth. He and his rider had gone _between_, never to reappear. To lose one of the dragons I had spent the last two turns training with was devastating and heart-wrenching and I wondered who else would be lost today. Already our clutch had dwindled from twelve to ten with the loss of Ilsa and Trelilith and now K'vel and Pycoth. Would anyone save Hectith and me live through this day? I thought of cheery Lombreth and dutiful Salvodath, my blue brothers, quick-witted Tecsolth, kind Fodeth. Would any of my brothers survive? And what of my sisters? Would any of the greens see the end of this day?

Raliel had been worried that it was F'nar and Roanith who had been injured. It was slightly surprised, but I knew, too, that she and F'nar had been trying to get to know another to make things easier to bear for the both of them. It was natural for her to develop a fondness for him, even if it wasn't the same romantic connection she had with S'ton. She might have worried for him as a friend, though I couldn't really be sure in all the tumultuousness of the situation. But luckily enough, it was not my mate falling from the skies. Not yet.

S'ton urged Raliel to drink some kind of healer's brew and then wet a handkerchief with some water that a healer brought, allowing herself to clean up after her stomach had rebelled. I felt a little comforted by his presence, as Raliel seemed to be reassured that she was in good hands and I began to relax, though I did not return to my former activity. Gently the bronzerider rubbed Raliel's back and lifted her hair out of the way should she continue to vomit. The medicine he had brought her very nearly made her gag again, the aroma too much for her sensitive stomach. It disgusted her how weak she'd become since conceiving, as she normally had a very strong stomach and was very resilient to foul odors. After all, she had worked with animals.

I could feel Raliel's emotions surge, filled with awe and tenderness for S'ton. I so wished for her to be happy. Though I continued to watch her, I backed away from them physically, though I lingered close by Raliel's thoughts. But tragedy struck again and I felt two dragons being torn from the world. _Risoth and Nysoth collided, _I reported as I keened for them. I had not known them closely, but the losses were devastating still. _Both are dead, _I added, every ounce of my sorrow poured into those simple words, though Raliel and I both knew that they could not have survived a collision. Perhaps it was my sadness or maybe it was Raliel's own, but tears began to trickle from her eyes, tears that she wiped at in an effort to remain strong, despite having lost her stomach contents not long before. "Sharding pregnancy," she muttered, but I know the tears were not just from the mood swings she'd been having lately.

Before we could have a chance to recover from the loss of Risoth and Nysoth, my brother Salvodath suddenly appeared overhead, frantically calling for help for his rider. Salvodath did not appear to be injured, but his rider was bleeding from a wound that curled around his arm. It did not look too serious and I sent calming thoughts to Salvodath to try to keep him from becoming too panicked. S'ton was speaking again, having misinterpreted Raliel's words. "Even if you weren't pregnant, we couldn't risk letting you fly the Fall," he was saying. "With Trelilith gone, there aren't enough clutching females for a Queen's Wing. You're too important to the Weyr, to..." And he stopped suddenly as if he had been about to say something else, but had changed his mind. I could feel Raliel's hope in those unspoken words and she knew that he had been about to tell her she was too important to him. But he didn't finish his thought, saying instead, "You need to get some rest. Send Al- er, send Duarte to me if you need anything."

Pain shot through Raliel's thoughts at the mention of Alyx, even if he had caught himself again, trying not to say the little green's name. Her absence was especially hard on her because she had been a gift from S'ton. It reminded her of a happier time when there was no F'nar and she was not Weyrwoman. There were no missing weyrlings, no mutinous whispers, no pregnancy. Life had been simpler then. But there was no way to go back, or I'd have done so for her. I would have given her the chance to have things the way she wanted. Raliel watched as S'ton walked away from her and I could feel her turmoil. She wanted him to stay, afraid that him leaving now would be the same as him leaving for good. She couldn't bear to think that this was all that she would get, small moments where they pretended it wasn't awkward to talk to one another, or where they realized it was and said nothing because of it. It wasn't enough for her and every time he left her side she just wanted him back more.

Just as suddenly as all the other deaths and injuries had come, I felt the distress of my mate. Since I had chosen him over Bannith, I'd become more in tune with him. We shared ledges in the morning and in the evening, though there were also times I wanted my space and did not allow him to share my ledge. The more time I spent with him, the more I came to know what he was feeling, just the same as Raliel became more familiar with F'nar's mannerisms and body language. I felt that link begin to ache and I knew before Roanith appeared over the Weyr that something was very, very wrong. I could not stop the flare of fear within my breast, which in turn fanned the coals of Raliel's own fear.

The air exploded with the sound of Roanith's bellow. There was so much pain in that one sound that it caused all eyes to tear away from what they were doing and watch as their Weyrleader came crashing down to the Bowl. Raliel and I reacted at the same instant, both of us dashing to the sides of our mates, though perhaps for Raliel the word was not quite the right term. _Roanith!_ I cried out in surprise, landing beside him so heavily that my joints ached in protest. His handsome hide was laid open by the Thread, his shoulder raw and his strong neck bearing its own ragged wounds. I struggled to keep my own anguish at bay, knowing I needed to keep him calm. That was my duty, so I had been taught. When other dragons were in distress, I should will them to be calm. _Hold still. The healers are coming. They will make it stop hurting, _I told him, but my mental voice cracked from worry.

I barely saw the healers rushing to their side, consumed with my own pain and that of my rider's. For all that Raliel might say she did not have affection for F'nar, she reacted in such a way at the sight of him unconscious on his dragon that it was impossible to deny. She might not feel for him in the _same_ way she felt for S'ton, but there was something there. Frantically she scrambled onto Roanith's forearm, careful to avoid his Threadscores, and somehow managed to pull the large man from his dragon, despite the angry voices of the healers who insisted that she was being foolish, especially in her condition.

It was hard to feel Raliel's emotions with my own raging right alongside, but I knew she was distressed. She was kneeling beside F'nar now, trying to slap him awake. _I don't want to be alone!_ I heard her think and my heart ached for her. It was silly to point out that she would have me, as she knew that. But I could not satisfy all of her needs for human contact and I knew it was not just about being alone, but being left the solitary leader and being left with this guilt that he had cared for her and she had never reciprocated those feelings. Meanwhile, Roanith was clearly distraught. _I can not stay still! Not while he sits here dying! F'nar!_ he cried out in agony._ The more you move, the more you hurt. And when you hurt, he hurts!_ I hissed forcefully, not intending to be so harsh. With a low moan, the bronze stopped trying to move, slumping over and allowing the healers to do their work.

It took a moment for F'nar to wake and when he did, he was at first confuse, and then concerned. Roanith was roaring as he felt his rider awaken, relieved but also in pain. Both males had serious Threadscores that would take weeks to heal, but they should still fly again. "You don't have to stay with me," F'nar said to Raliel, hissing as the healers applied redwort to disinfect his wounds. "Shh..." Raliel soothed, then she gave a cry of pain as his hand came to grasp hers in a crushing grip. My eyes swirled faster with worry until F'nar loosened his grip and the pain in Raliel's hand subsided. "I know it is hard for you to be around me," he said by way of explanation. I could feel Raliel's throat constrict with guilt. "Leave," he told her, and my rider felt her heart sink into her stomach. It only got worse as he continued, "I'm sure he will be better company than-" and he was cut off by the removal of his riding jacket which had become plastered to the wound.

I knew Raliel would not F'nar dismiss her. She owed him this much, to stay by his side now when she had not been so faithful to him before. Her resolve hardened that she would be more supportive, work harder to make things work between them so that they at least had a legitimate partnership. There was the small glimmer of the same emotional connection that Raliel had with S'ton and this moment was making that small seed sprout and grow. Even if guilt brought her to this point, it would be a good thing for her to find it within herself to like F'nar, not just as a leader, but as a man. "I will not leave you," she told him in a firm voice, sounding like the Weyrwoman I knew her to be. While I wanted Raliel to be happy with S'ton, I also wanted her to be happy with F'nar if that would be easier for her. I wanted what was best for her.

Caught up in Roanith and F'nar, Raliel and I did not immediately notice the dragons who had appeared in the sky. In fact, it was not until after they had landed and whispers began to circulate amongst the healers that we even diverted our attention. I peered closely at these strange dragons with suspicion. I did not recognize a single one of them. Within their ranks I saw a small, pale gold, barely the size of a green, but with wings that were disproportionately large for her small body. With them also were two rose-golds, one oddly-marked like Hectith's clutch had been, and another who appeared to be younger. A silvery bronze led their ranks and an icy blue and near-black green filled out the wing of six dragons. The breeding females were naturally my biggest concern and I bellowed in warning and in challenge.

My rider was on the brink of a breakdown, the day's events wearing heavily on her. The strange arrivals seem to ignore my call, beginning to rush around to come to our aide_. Who are you and where did you come from?_ I demande, but received no answer. I was on the verge of exerting my will on them, making them stay until I could properly question them, but then out of nowhere a tiny green blur appeared, winging towards Raliel and me. _Alyx? _The name was on both of our minds and then the green reached Raliel, exuberantly calling out to her, so happy to be home. I was filled with wonder at the same moment that Raliel's tears began to flow, the emotions of the day finally overwhelming her. She released F'nar's hand to hold the creature to her chest and I left Roanith's side to stand over my rider and welcome Alyx back.

The little firelizard allowed herself to be pet and cried over for a moment and then she clawed her way up to Raliel's shoulder. She turned her eyes on me and chittered proudly, gesturing to the wing of dragons that was lifting into the skies. "See? I brought them back!" she seemed to be saying and then I was given the images that came from Alyx's time away. She had jumped _between_ to find the missing weyrlings and candidates and now everyone was back! Raliel and I reeled from this news. Clearly Hectith's Aurath and Divinith had returned, but there was still the question of who the other dragons were.

_Kessuth-_ Raliel began, but she wasn't sure who to call. F'nar was here and S'ton...she wasn't sure if she could talk to him. With Alyx's return had come a rush of feelings towards the man, despite having just made a silent promise to herself to try to forget him and devote herself to F'nar._ Bannith! _I called to the bronze, knowing that I needed to contact him and tell him what was going on. A flicker of motion caught Raliel's eye and she turned to see that the rose-golds-including Hectith-and the tiny gold had armed themselves with flamethrowers and were launching themselves into the sky to go battle Thread. Instantly all Raliel's emotions were funneled into one: anger. They should be there fighting, too!

It took only a moment for Raliel to mobilize, getting to her feet quickly despite the growing swell of her belly. "Raliel! NO!" I distantly heard F'nar cry out, but neither of us were listening. She took off for our weyr, sprinting to grab our riding straps. Alyx flew behind and I followed after. I didn't see that Roanith was struggling to his feet to come after me. I wanted to be in the sky, too, and if those mutants could fight, then so could I! I was growling softly as Raliel did my straps, not out of any pain, but in the same anger that caused my rider's fingers to fly over the buckles, quickly fastening the straps about my neck. We both trembled in anticipation. Raliel then ran to the storage cavern, fixing the people within with a glare so fierce they yielded with startled gasps. She took the flamethrower and started to leave, intent on battling Thread with the rest of the queens. "Coordinates!" she said to herself, voice rising with desperation. "I need coordinates!"

At that moment S'ton found her, grabbing her roughly by the shoulders and looking for all the world like he was about to shake her. "Raliel, no!" he said, but Raliel was resistant. "You're pregnant, you can't go _between_! Besides, you're the only Queenrider we have, and three of our five Bronzes are out of commission right now, including our Weyrleader. You're needed here!" No, she didn't want to think about that. If she thought too much on their losses she wouldn't go. And she needed to be in those skies! I could feel her desperate cry building and I grew more antsy by the minute. S'ton suddenly release her as if she had hurt him in some way. "You can't fight this Fall. Not when we've sustained this many losses already." He moved so that he was blocking Raliel's path out of the storage cavern.

At the same time, Roanith came to me, pleading with me to stay. _Kessuth! You can not go! _I hesitated, hating to hear the pain in his voice. _Kessuth!_ he cried again, crooning desperately to me. My resolve began to crumble, but it was so torturous remaining on the ground when so many other dragons were doing what dragons were bred to do. There were other queens in the air now and I was not one of them! _Please…don't leave me…_ I rumbled in sadness, Roanith's pitiful tone almost too much to bear. _I'm so sorry, Roanith. Raliel wants to fight so bad and so do I! We should be fighting!_ I pleaded with him in return, wanting so much for him not to be sad, but also wanting to carry my rider into battle as I should.

Raliel was crazed in her desperate need to fight, a fog filling her mind. She was single-minded, wanting only to get that flamethrower and get onto my neck so we could go _between_ to the wings. But S'ton's voice was enough to penetrate the fog, but only barely. When he came to block her path, she knew he would not allow her to pass and there was no way she could muscle past him. Slowly she backed up until her back hit the opposite wall and the flamethrower sunk to the ground with a thud. She stared at S'ton with glazed eyes. "Raliel..." he said, his voice halting, filled with worry. "Raliel..." he repeated, extending his hand towards her and then withdrawing it. He seemed to be unable to decide what to do, then after a moment he sighed and stepped forward as my rider continued to stare at him, though now hurt and rejection permeated her thoughts. _He'll never want me_. I had accepted by now that we were not going anywhere and I crooned sadly to Roanith, reaching out to nuzzle him apologetically.

"I'll take you to your weyr. You need to rest. I'll take care of things in the Weyr, and N'ty and R'kai have everything in control topside. Everything's going to be okay," S'ton offered, reaching out towards Raliel once more. _He's just taking care of his Weyrwoman. He doesn't want anything to do with me. _He crept closer and finally placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Today's been very stressful for us all, you most of all. You deserve some rest. Please, Raliel..." I was worried by Raliel's suddenly dark thoughts. She had convinced herself he was disgusted with her, that he didn't want to help and was doing so only out of duty. She didn't say anything to him, simply nodding and going with him. I didn't know whether to worry more for Roanith or for Raliel, who was clearly in a bad place. _Raliel, it's not true,_ I tried to reassure her, but she denied my words just as quickly as they entered her mind.

The healers were able to convince Roanith to lay back down and I gave him a final croon of apology before I let myself be consumed by my worry for Raliel. My mate was being taken care of, but my lifemate, my soulmate, was in dire straits. I went to meet Raliel at our weyr, where S'ton was taking her. I could feel how depressed she was, her mind set that S'ton wouldn't want her because she was carrying F'nar's child. He hated her, or so she thought. But if he truly hated her, why was he taking the time to escort her to her Weyr? Even for duty's sake? He could have easily assigned someone else to escort her so he could go about whatever task Raliel was convinced he would rather be doing. Neither of us were aware at the time that S'ton's sister, Talla, had been score, and that he had been tending her before he saw Raliel streaking towards the storage cavern. We would find out later, however, and it would be just another thing to add to her guilt.

Raliel's thoughts went towards the newly-formed queen's wing that had taken to the skies without us, bitter that Naria had been able to fly when she could not. It brought her spirits up slightly, shaking her from this dark cloud that hung over her. By focusing her energy once again into anger, she was able to straighten her back and regain her awareness. When she reached our weyr, she was no longer thinking that S'ton hated her and she silently gestured for him to come in and seat himself across from her as she sat at her table. Once I saw that S'ton had Raliel safely in our weyr, I returned to Roanith's side, snorting as I saw people scrambling over my mate, almost as if they were competing for him. I sniffed at the young people tending to my mate, then withdrew in disgust. They smelled like numbweed. I hated the smell, but at least it seemed to be helping the bronze. I kept watch over my mate to be sure they treated him well._ I'm very sorry, Roanith. I won't leave you again, I promise. I think those people are trying to help you, so just stay still, _I soothed, casting quick glances to be sure they were not causing him any further pain.

Within our weyr, Raliel murmured a soft thank you to S'ton, still unable to look him in the eye. Worriedly Alyx snuggled in closer, resting in the crook of her neck, her tail wrapping around the back of her neck. Raliel scratched her eyeridges gently, wondering idly where Duarte had gone. "I couldn't have let you go. You know that," S'ton said, but still Raliel did not look at him. Alyx chirped softly and seemed to draw his attention because his next words were regarding the tiny green, who had come home to us oddly matured. "When did she turn up, anyway?" he asked. "I thought she went _between_ the day we found the bodies..." Briefly Raliel glanced at him before returning her attention to the green, eliciting a range of coos and soft trills of pleasure. "She just came back to me. When those dragons appeared in the sky," she said softly, still a bit overwhelmed by that particular surprise. The startling appearance had been enough, but then to have the little green return to her after appearing for all intents and purposes to have permanently gone _between_? It blew her mind.

Duarte returned then with a soft pop, having felt that something was different. At first he was angry that something else was occupying his perch on Raliel and then he recognized Alyx. He was so stunned he landed as a lump on Raliel's other shoulder, his little mouth held open. He chirped quizzically at her and Alyx responded excitedly and the two exchanged nuzzles, glad to be reunited. Again Raliel's eyes filled with tears, deeply touched by the display. S'ton came around behind her to comfort her, gently massaging her arms, but I found my attention diverted by a crash landing of one of the new rose-golds. As the most senior queen, it was my duty to calm the dragon and so I moved to her, nuzzling Roanith. _ I will be back, Roanith. I must help her,_ I told him. _Listen, you must stay still. There are healers __coming to help you, but you must remain calm until they get here so you don't further injure yourself._ I spoke as soothingly as possible, but I could see that she was in a lot of pain, having broken her wrist. Thread had eaten away at part of her wingsail and the updraft from her landing had torn the sail further.

"Let it all out, you'll feel better..." S'ton was telling Raliel, trying to calm her in the same way I was trying to calm this rose-gold. "You've been strong all day. Give yourself a moment where you don't have to be, it's okay." After a moment he spoke again, bringing good news. "Raliel, the Fall's nearly over." My rider's shoulders shook with gentle sobs and he waited until they quieted before saying, "We should call a meeting with the Wingleaders and those new dragonriders and get to the bottom of this." Relief was clear in her emotions as she took in the news that the 'Fall was nearly done, but she also worried about who would take over leadership of the wings with F'nar and Roanith grounded and Bannith still nursing his strained wing. But she pushed it aside and pulled herself together, standing to face S'ton. She hesitated for a moment and then her gratitude culminated in a simple impulsive action as her lips were pressed against his.

For a moment S'ton seemed to be shocked, his lips unmoving and then I barely caught Bannith's words. _Kiss her back, silly._ And he did. Finally, my rider was getting what she wanted.


End file.
